The White House's Latest Target: David Letterman

Bored Boy Behind President Gets Nationwide Attention

ORLANDO, Fla. -- The son of Orange County Chairman Rich Crotty is getting nationwide attention after being featured on David Letterman's "Late Show" yawning, twisting his head and falling asleep at a rally for President George W. Bush.

Letterman's comedy piece called "George W. Bush Invigorating America's Youth" was edited video from an Orlando rally in March where several people stood behind the president during a 45-minute speech.

Crotty's son, Tyler, was taped standing behind the president checking his watch, stretching and basically dead on his feet. The "Late Show" skit edited some of the funnier moments from the video into the bit.

Chairman Crotty told Local 6 News Thursday that he was afraid that Letterman's skit would hurt his son's feelings, but the boy thought it was hysterical.

"What we had was a few yawns, a few looking at the watches over a 45-minute period, and Letterman had that edited down to a 30-second piece and frankly it was hysterical," Crotty said.

Crotty said his son was tired during the rally because he was so excited to see the president.

"Tyler was very excited about seeing the president," Crotty said. "He stayed up tossing and turning all night in anticipation, and then, of course, I had to drag him out of bed at 6:30 in the morning."

Crotty, who is a strong Bush backer, said next time his son will sit next to him.

"Tyler loves the president," Crotty said. "He's a great George W. Bush supporter -- I guess it kind of runs in the family."

Meanwhile, what began on David Letterman's "Late Show" as a comedy bit needling President Bush turned into a comedy of errors when CNN incorrectly reported that the White House had cried foul.

Then Letterman - apparently not getting CNN's message that it had made the mistake until he was well into his Tuesday broadcast - only heightened the confusion.

The whole thing started during a collection of video clips Letterman showed Monday under the label "George W. Bush Invigorates America's Youth."

One showed Bush at a March rally in Orlando, Fla., standing at a lectern with several listeners behind him -- among them, a boy in his early teens who could barely stay awake. While Bush spoke, the young man yawned, twisted his head, checked his watch and generally seemed dead on his feet.

Tuesday morning, CNN attempted to lighten its news mood by running the segment, credited to CBS' "Late Show with David Letterman," on its "CNN Live Today."

But then CNN host Daryn Kagan added: "We're being told by the White House that the kid, as funny as he was, was edited into that video, which would explain why the people around him weren't really reacting."

Later, during CNN's "Live From ...," anchor Kyra Phillips reran the tape but cautioned viewers: "We're told that the kid was there at that event, but not necessarily standing behind the president."

The truth was: The White House never complained, and the footage was real.

On his Tuesday telecast, Letterman aired Kagan's and Phillips' skeptical remarks and ranted: "An out-and-out, 100 percent absolute lie. The kid absolutely was there and he absolutely was doing everything we pictured via the videotape. ...

"So when you cast your vote in November," he urged, "just remember that the White House was trying to make ME look like a DOPE."

By then, CNN had owned up to its mistake, and placed a call to Letterman's New York headquarters before the 5:30 p.m. taping began. But the tape was already rolling before Letterman got the word.

"According to this," he said during the show, referring to an index card in his grasp, "CNN has just phoned and ... the anchorwoman misspoke. They never got a comment from the White House. It was a CNN mistake."

So then he wailed: "Now I've called the White House liars, and you know what that means - they're going to start looking into my taxes!"

Though CNN spokeswoman Christa Robinson noted that "we frequently air late-night comedy show clips," on Thursday she confirmed the "misunderstanding among our staff" surrounding the yawning-boy video.

Meanwhile, Kagan made an on-air show of contrition.

"Dave, we apologize for the error," she said, offering to come on his show for a Stupid Human Trick.



As I understand it, the boy will be a guest on the Letterman show tonight.